Shaping up to new regulations

Share

New rules on how builders handle clients take effect early next year, and one trade group wants to improve industry knowledge on the topic.

The changes are part of a wider boost to consumer protection laws which take effect on January 1.

The new rules say builders will need to supply written contracts and warranty details to clients for jobs over $30,000; disclose their skills, experience and qualifications; provide a checklist of the client’s entitlements; supply details of the materials they use; and fix any defects within a year.

In response to the changes, the Certified Builders Association is running seminars to help builders learn what they need to know.

The seminars will be run for the association by the government-owned FairWay Resolution Service, formerly the Dispute Resolution Service, and will be open to all tradies, including association members.

“With the new regulations coming, builders will have to do a whole lot more for the consumer,” association chief executive Grant Florence says.

“We want to help educate them better. We want to be on the front foot to make sure builders have these skills – it’s better than having problems to sort out later.”

He says that while builders may be skilled in their trade, they tend to be “hands-on people” who may not have strong business skills. With construction booming this could become a problem, he says, as members struggle to manage more work, contractors, staff and cashflow.

If the residential contract value/or estimate is over $30,000 incl GST or you have elected to take out the Halo 10 Year Residential Guarantee regardless of the amount, the information relevant to the Halo 10 year Residential Guarantee application will be automatically sent to BrokerWeb Risk Services upon completion of this online contract. BWRS will then send you an invoice for the Guarantee premium. Please contact BrokerWeb Risk Services on 0800 644 444 if the Building Contract does not proceed or if the details of this Building Contract are changed.